24 January 2011

Onscreen History of Sinestro

When asked to name a Green Lantern villain, most people (aside from geeks like me) would say one of two things: 1) The dude with the yellow ring or 2) Sinestro. Of course, Sinestro is the dude with the yellow ring and with a name like his, he is obviously a villain and is pretty much the quintessential Green Lantern adversary.

Sinestro first appeared in 1961's Green Lantern (volume 2) #7. Over the years his backstory has been fleshed out quite a bit. Not only was Sinestro once a Green Lantern, but he was one of the greatest Green Lantern's and the trainer of Hal Jordan. But his iron-fisted methods eventually landed him a banishment where he came across the yellow powered ring and returned as the arch enemy (and sometimes ally) of the Green Lantern Corps.

The mustached one's first onscreen appearance occurred in the 1978 animated Challenge of the Super Friends where he served as a member of Luthor's Legion of Doom.

In the 1979 disaster Legends of the Superheroes, Sinestro made his first live-action appearance.

It would be over 20 years before Sinestro's next appearance, on the Superman: The Animated Series episode In Brightest Day. The episode gave the Green Lantern at the time, Kyle Rayner, a Hal Jordanesque origin and showdown (aided by Superman) with Sinestro. This incarnation of the now red-skinned villain would go on to appear in the Justice League, Justice League Unlimited, and Static Shock animated series.

The 2003 episode of Duck Dodgers, The Green Loontern, had Duck Dodgers joining the ranks of the Green Lantern Corps. It was none other than Daffy Duck that was able to take down the intergalactic supervillain this time.

In the 2007 episode Ring Toss of The Batman, Sinestro finally got to fight his original nemesis Hal Jordan again, along with ring wielding Batman and Penguin.

In 2009, we got our first glimpse of the once heroic Sinestro in Batman: The Brave and the Bold's The Eyes of Despero! The episode depicted a villainous Sinestro falling from the good graces of the Green Lantern Corps.

The Sinister one was however given equal time as a hero in the alternate world exploits depicted in Deep Cover for Owlman.

Later in 2009, the Green Lantern: First Flight animated film gave the first onscreen look of Sinestro in his modern yellow Sinestro Corps uniform.

Sinestro is slated to appear in the upcoming live-action Green Lantern movie as a hero donned in emerald green paving the way for a spectacular fall from grace in a planned sequel.